Admission Info

(Cash only at the gate)
Regardless of the weather, the show will go on!

Adult

One-Day Pass: $20
Two-Day Pass: $35
Three-Day Pass: $45

Children

5 & Under: Free
6-12: $5 

MILITARY/SCOUTS

Scouts under 16 in uniform: free
Military with ID: $10

Pleasanton Show Info

Dates:  February 23, 24, & 25, 2024

Time
Friday: 10am – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 5:30pm
Sunday: 9am – 4:30pm

Location: Alameda County Fairgrounds
2005 Valley Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94588

BACK AGAIN: The International Fly Fishing Film Festival. One night only, Friday, February 23 at 6:30pm. $15; $10 in advance.

Learning Center

Fly Fishers International (FFI) is pleased to offer FREE fly fishing instruction at the Learning Center located on the main show floor.  Basic fly-casting, fly-tying, and knots, will be taught throughout the day-every day of the Fly Fishing Show.

Directions and Lodging

Alameda County Fairgrounds

2005 Valley Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94588

Directions:

From: San Francisco – Cross the Bay Bridge – Follow the sign to stay on I-580 East – When you come to I-680, go South – Take the Bernal Exit and go East (to the right when you come off the ramp) – To the Fairgrounds, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 8 or Gate 12 – To the Off-Track Betting Facility, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 12

From San Jose – Take I-680 North – Take the Bernal Exit and go East (to the right when you come off the ramp) – To the Fairgrounds, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 8 or Gate 12

From Walnut Creek – Take I-680 South – Take the Bernal Exit and go East (to the right when you come off the ramp) – To the Fairgrounds, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 8 or Gate 12 – To the Off-Track Betting Facility, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 12

From Tracy – Take 205 West – Continue on I-580 West – Take I-680 South – Take the Bernal Exit and go East (to the right when you come off the ramp) – To the Fairgrounds, turn left on Valley Avenue and enter through Gate 8 or Gate 12

Flying:  Oakland airport is 18 miles away; San Francisco is 35 miles away.

 

Accommodations: 

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pleasanton at the Club
7050 Johnson Drive
Pleasanton, California 94588-3396
Phone: 1-925-463-8000
Request the special Show rate using Group Code:  FLY, or Group Name:  FLY FISHING SHOW 2024 when making reservations. Click HERE, to book at the special show rates online.

The rate and room block is expired on Tuesday, February 6th by 11:59PM, or until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.

Since the rates are including breakfasts based on occupancy, please update # of guests in rooms while they inputting information so the rate will populate correctly.
Since the Rate is different on Wednesday, EDIT STAY( Check-in & Check-out date) before the select the room type; therefore, the rate will popular accordingly.

Wednesday 02/21
Standard One King Bed – Single: $170.00 / Double: $170.00 / Triple: $180.00
Standard Two Queen Beds – Single: $170.00 / Double: $170.00 / Triple: $180.00 / Quad: $190.00

Thursday 02/22 – Sunday 02/25
Standard One King Bed – Single: $140.00 / Double: Double: $140.00 / Triple: $150.00
Standard Two Queen Beds – Single: $140.00 / Double: $140.00 / Triple: $150.00/ Quad: $160.00

Room Rate Includes:
*Full American Breakfast Buffet based on occupancy
* Complimentary WIFI in all guest rooms
* Access to Bay Club Fitness Center (adjacent to the hotel)
* Complimentary Parking

The hotel did reinstate Shuttle Services for Fly Fishing Staff and Guests between Hotel and Fairground starting on Wednesday the February 21st to Sunday February 25th. The shuttle is running on hourly basis from 7:00AM to 7:00PM except for Friday which will be extended little longer due to the show/film at Fairground. The Shuttle Services is on 1st come 1st served basis and required to sign up in advance to reserve seats.

Group Information:
Group Name: FLY FISHING SHOW 2024
Group Code: FLY

Booking web page address is: https://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/P/PLEPCDT-FLY-20220223/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POGhttps://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/plepcdt-fly-08365722-4668-4f2a-bba6-505d5c813446/

Official Fly Fishing Show information to book your hotel will be extended from info@flyfishingshow.com and/or posted on The Fly Fishing Show website, www.flyfishingshow.com when it becomes available. Please use only the phone numbers and website links the Show provides. Please be advised other “hotel booking scalpers” are misrepresenting themselves calling customers. Please do not book through these scalpers to avoid problems or overpayment. Thank you and look for additional information to follow soon.

Celebrities and Authors

Celebrities:

Rob Anderson:  Rob resides in Reno, Nevada and currently has his own fly fishing travel business, Bucket List Fly Fishing Adventures and is the lead guide and owner of Reno Fly Fishing Outfitters. Rob currently guides on the Truckee River in both California and Nevada, Pyramid Lake, Davis Lake, East Walker River, Frenchman’s and 4 different private waters. He regularly does speaking engagements on Pyramid Lake other Northern Nevada and California waters and numerous “Bucket List” destinations around the world including an annual hosted trip to the Amazon for Peacock Bass. Rob is always willing and ready to educate fly fishing enthusiasts. Rob Anderson grew up in Virginia and was fishing from the time he can remember. At the age of 9, he learned to fly fish. From that point on he fly-fished for bass and pan fish in Virginia as much as possible. After college, Rob pursued his other passion, golf, by working in that business for 15 years. During this time he had headed west and settled in Lake Tahoe. In 1997, while still working in the golf industry, he was reintroduced to fly fishing by his friend Chris Evison. Chris taught him the art of fly fishing for trout in moving water. His love of the sport was reborn! In his free time from the golf business he regularly visited the Reno Fly Shop where he began learning how to tie flies (he is now a Signature Fly Designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants with over 20 patterns tied commercially). In the fall of 2001, the Reno Fly Shop offered Rob a part-time job which shortly thereafter, turned into a full time position managing the retail store, private waters program and guide business until the Reno Fly Shop closed in 2010. The closing of the Reno Fly Shop resulted in Rob having more time and freedom in his pursuit of design, creativity and teaching in the Fly Fishing industry. It was in 2003 that Rob pursued his interest in guiding at Pyramid Lake. Rob ultimately became the first non-tribal fly fishing guide at the Lake. Since that time has built a fly fishing specific website for Pyramid Lake, pyramidlakeflyfishing.com and runs the largest and most successful guide service there. Rob’s love of Pyramid Lake has also driven him to design Pyramid-specific flies which have increased the popularity of nymphing at the lake. Two of these flies are the Maholo Fly and the Maholo Midge which are sold at fly shops and retailers all over the West.

Gary Borger: Gary Borger is one of the world’s foremost fly fishing educators. He has taught classes and lectured internationally on all aspects of fly-fishing for trout and salmon since 1972. He is recognized as one of the world’s leaders in fly designing. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Campus in Wausau. He has published widely in sporting magazines around the world and has written six best-selling books on fly fishing. Gary pioneered fly fishing video instruction with his release of “Nymphing” in 1982. Since then he has produced 27 instructional videos and has been featured in various television programs, including his own production “The Tzar’s Trout.” Gary was a consultant on Robert Redford’s movie “A River Runs Through It.” With his award-winning CD/cassette tape, “My Madison,” he pioneered fly fishing, nature-music audios. In addition, Gary has been design consultant to a number of manufacturers in the fly fishing industry. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Federation of Fly Fisher’s fly casting instructor certification program, a member of many conservation organizations, and was a founding board member of the River Alliance of Wisconsin. He has received many awards for conservation, including the first Lew Jewett Memorial Life Membership in the Federation of Fly Fishers in 1979. Gary currently writes, lectures, produces videos, and teaches schools on all aspects of fly fishing and fly tying.

Mac Brown: Mac Brown is the owner of Mac Brown Fly Fish and Fly Fishing Guide School in Western NC. Mac created the first full-time fly fishing guide service in Western North Carolina. The first Delayed Harvest on the Upper Nantahala River in early 1993 was also a result of his efforts. Check out the testimonials from others over the past three decades. He is the author of “Casting Angles” which is a fly casting handbook for those on the journey of understanding the mechanics of the cast. The ACA, FFI, and others have endorsed this text as a reference for instructors as well. Mac is a Master Casting Instructor through the Fly Fishers International. Mac was inducted into the Southern Appalachia Fly Fishing Museum Hall of Fame under recreation on August 26, 2017. Mac was “Angler of the Year” in Field and Stream in 1999. His articles have appeared in Fly Rod and Reel, Fly Fisherman, Angling Report, ESPN TV, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, Fly Fishing America T.V., Fly Fishing the World, and many others. Pro Staff Development of Fly Fishing Products Mac is a pro staff member of Ross Reels, Simms, Maxima, and many other great companies since early 1990. He is an ambassador for the brands Patagonia, GLoomis rods, Regal Vise, Richardson Chest Boxes, and Scientific Anglers fishing lines. His most significant contributions have been the push to longer and lighter fly rods and fly line designs.

Frank Burr: Frank Burr learned Tenkara fishing in Japan in 1970 followed by Fly Fishing and Fly tying the following year. A native of Southern California, Frank fly fishes throughout the United States, always looking for the elusive Heritage Trout. Although Trout is his favorite species, Frank will fly fish for any species just to get in a day of fishing. Frank has worked in the fly fishing industry for the past 9 years for Orvis and now for Snowbee USA, assisting in the design of Ultralight Fly Rods and other products in the Snowbee line. Frank is also a Fly Fishing and Tenkara instructor and Guide specializing in Golden Trout and other Heritage Trout species in California. Frank speaks at events, clubs and shows in the USA on a variety of Fly Fishing related subjects and volunteers as many days as possible each year teaching youth fly fishing programs. He has been the Trout in the Classroom coordinator for the Pasadena Casting Club and currently the TIC coordinator for the Southwest Council of Fly Fishers International. You can find more information about Frank at: oasisflyshop.com, goldentroutdude.com and tenkaraguidecalifornia.com

Tim Flagler: Tim Flagler is the owner of Tightline Productions, L.L.C., a video production company located in Califon, NJ. Although he produces video programs over a wide range of topics, his specialty is fly fishing. Tim is a well-known fly tying instructor. His YouTube videos are some of the best in the business and his YouTube channel, practicalpatterns.com currently has over 106,000 subscribers and 33 million views. Almost every week he produces a new fly tying or “how to” video which appear not only on his YouTube channel but on Midcurrent and the Orvis News fly fishing blog as well. They’re also featured on Trout Unlimited’s national website and in the Orvis Learning Center. In addition, he has a regular column “Beginner’s Masterclass with Tim Flagler” in Fly Tyer magazine, which selected Tim as their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue. Many of Tim’s tying videos take the viewer well beyond just the tying of the fly and show what it looks like underwater, what natural it represents and how it can be fished.

Tim’s a fixture at the Fly Fishing Shows – giving presentations, teaching classes and often as a Featured Tier. He enjoys guiding year round for Shannon’s Fly & Tackle in Califon, NJ. and hosts annual trips to Patagonia in the spring and to the Kootenai River in MT in the summer. He’ll be hosting trips to Iceland starting in the fall of 2023.

Rob Giannino: Rob Giannino is the Founder of Fly Fishing Journeys, an online fly fishing magazine, podcasting, and curated travel company.  He is a speaker, writer, photographer, and videographer. Rob lives in Greater Boston and serves as a guest speaker at fly fishing shows, Trout Unlimited chapters, and other outdoor events. Rob owns a digital media agency helping businesses around the world promote their services online. He combines his joy for helping businesses in the digital space with his passion for fly fishing and created FlyFishingJourneys.com. Bringing fly fisherman together and sharing the love for the sport, both on the water and online fulfills a lifelong dream.

Whitney Gould: Whitney currently guides for Head Hunters Fly Shop on the Missouri River in Montana. She is an angler, full-time fishing guide, casting instructor and part-time painter. She has a degree in Painting from Temple School of Fine Arts and a masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. Fishing allows Whitney to merge her creativity with her love for fishing and the outdoors. Whitney is a seven-time Spey-O-Rama World Casting Champ and is an FFI Certified Two-Hand Fly Casting Instructor. She is currently training and planning, if the planets align, to compete in the World Championships in Fly Casting in 2022. Whitney is the owner of Gould Standard Fly Casting.

Matt Heron:  Matt grew up catching trout and bass in the historic Adirondack Mountains in upsate NY. Not long after was chasing migratory steelhead, browns and salmon in the Great Lakes tributaries every fall and spring. Little did Matt know that his first rod and reel outfit from Sage in 1991 would change his life forever.
After double majoring at University of Morrisville and University of Cortland, Matt would begin his full time career in fly fishing. He is a graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and worked for the International Federation of Fly Fishers in Livingston Montana as his first job out of college. There he also became a IFFF Certified Casting Instructor.
Currently Matt runs his Fly Fishing School and Outfitter (http://mattheronflyfishing.com/) in Squaw Valley and Truckee in Lake Tahoe, CA. The school at Resort at Squaw Creek is widely recognized as one of the premier fly fishing education programs in the country. His guide staff of fourteen primarily focuses on the Truckee and Little Truckee rivers on the north shore of Lake Tahoe year round.
During the slow season, Matt can be found exploring the world’s finest destination and lodges with his hosted travel program. Matt has fished extensively throughout the lower 48, Alaska, Mexico, Aruba, Bonaire, Cuba, Honduras, Bahamas, Chile, BC and Belize.
He also spent six years working full time for the Fly Fishing Film Tour, the #1 entertainment event in the fishing industry.
Matt’s proud to have professional affiliations with Sage, Simms, Costa and RIO.
Lastly, Matt’s proudest accomplishment was accepting the position of Regional Director for the Reno/Tahoe Cast Hope. Cast Hope is a non-profit dedicated to getting at risk and underserved youth on water by providing complimentary gear and guide trips. http://www.casthope.org/
Matt resides in Truckee California with his beautiful wife Lulana and his two sons Declan and Easton.

Landon Mayer: Landon Mayer is owner an operator of Landon Mayer Fly Fishing. His angling success is fueled by an addiction to pursuing large trout with small flies and lightweight fly-fishing equipment. Mayer enthusiastically teaches and demonstrates his techniques and on-river knowledge to fellow anglers and has developed innovative strategies for sighting, hooking, and landing selective trout. He shares these tips and secrets in his books The Hunt for Giant Trout: 25 Top Locations in the US to Catch a Trophy (new for 2019), Trout Tips: A Guide’s Secrets, Tactics and Techniques, Colorado’s Best Fly Fishing, Sight Fishing for Trout, and How to Catch the Biggest Trout of Your Life, in addition to his new film with Headwater Media: Mastering the Short Game. Landon’s passion for fly-fishing has allowed him to make several noteworthy contributions to the sport on and off the water. This has included travels to fly-fishing related organizations of the Mid-Atlantic, West, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Southern states, as well Landon will be sharing his teaching through fly-fishing classes, presentations, and demonstrations of his unique techniques at this year’s Marlborough, Denver, California, New Jersey, and Atlanta Fly Fishing Shows Mayer has been guiding in Colorado full time on the South Platte River for the last 23 years, and one full season on the Nak Nek River in AK. He resides in Florissant, Colorado.

George Revel:  George Revel is a three-time National Fly Casting Champion, rod designer, FFF Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor, and President of the venerable Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club in San Francisco. A well-traveled and seasoned outdoorsman, George knows the ins-and-outs of the Industry and is passionate about making the sport accessible throughout a client’s lifetime.
At the age of 13, George won his first casting competition against “industry professionals.”
Casting against competitors who were much older and stronger, George knew that an efficient casting technique and a balanced fly fishing outfit were necessary for his success.With this early win under his belt, George continued to turn fly casting heads by winning three additional National Casting Championships, setting records in the fly distance events.
George became the youngest fly caster ever to pass the Fly Fishing Federation’s casting certification process at the age of 13. Continuing this youthful theme, at the age of 19, George became the youngest, Master-Certified casting instructor. This record still stands today.
With his fly casting talents, George traveled the United States with fly rod in hand. At fly fishing shows, George presented his efficient fly casting techniques, while assisting attendees with product questions.
Today, George teaches hundreds of fly anglers every year how to efficiently fly cast and catch fish. Whether in the class room, on the waters of Northern California or at the casting ponds of the historic Golden Gate Casting and Angling Club, where he’s the current president, George loves to share his passion for the sport.
Although George has fly fished in many parts of the world, he most loves the trout and steelhead waters of the Western United States. He also applies his casting and fishing knowledge to the efficient and balanced fly rods and reels he designs for Revel Rod Company.

Philip Rowley:  Phil has been fly fishing for over 30 years. His love of fly fishing has taken him across North America pursuing trout, Atlantic and Pacific salmon, char, pike, walleye and numerous other species on the fly. But Phil is best known for his stillwater exploits. A former commercial fly tyer, Phil has written for almost every major fly fishing publication in North America. He has authored three books and numerous feature articles and two regular columns. Phil’s first book Fly Patterns for Stillwaters is a best seller. In addition to his writing, Phil has four instructional DVD’s. In 2007, Phil was a member of the gold medal winning team at the Canadian Fly Fishing championships. When he isn’t on the water Phil travels North America performing at outdoor shows, providing seminars, speaking to fly clubs and conducting fly-fishing schools. Phil also provides instructional stillwater guiding on the lakes located a short distance from his Edmonton area home. Phil has appeared on a number of T.V. shows including, BC Outdoors Sports Fishing, Sport Fishing B.C., Fishing Alberta and Fishing with Shelly and Courtney. Phil is presently one of the co-hosts of the New Fly Fisher, an educational fly fishing production. Make a point of visiting Phil on-line at, www.flycraftangling.com.

John Sherman:  John is the West Coast Sales Representative for Simms Fishing Products & Hatch Outdoors covering CA, AZ, NV and HI. John is also one of the most published fly fishing photographers who has had his work published in Fly Fisherman, Fly Fish Journal, Saltwater Fly Fishing, The Drake, Cal Fly Fisher, North West and South West Fly Fishing to name a few. John lives on the banks of the Ca. Delta in Discovery Bay with his wife Natih, and daughter Kalum and son Kasix. John teamed up with Captain Mike Costello to produce the first and only Fly Fishing book dedicated to the California Delta, “Fly Fishing the CA Delta.” He will be presenting his slide show “Elevate your Delta Fly Game” which will help you catch more and bigger delta stripers, bass, panfish and carp with outside the box tactics. John’s passion for Delta fishing began at the age of 18 on his first trip to California Delta and it now has been his “home” water since 2002.

Luong Tam:  Luong Tam, trained as a design engineer by trade and the founder of Tenkara Tanuki, is a tenkara rod designer and builder. Luong has been passionate about fly fishing since the ’90s and is a member of many fly casting clubs in California. For the last few years, he became hooked on tenkara and obsessed enough to start his company Tenkara Tanuki. He attends tenkara schools every year taught by Masami Sakakibara, a Japanese tenkara master who is a living legend. Luong has developed casting techniques and fly fishing methods that take advantage of simpler and more efficient tenkara rods. Over the years, He has been giving presentations, workshops, and on-water clinics all over the state.

Authors:

Andrew Weiner:
DOWN BY THE RIVER

Gary Borger:
FLY GEAR
THE ANGLER AS PREDATOR
FISHING THE FILM
LONG FLIES
NATURALS
NYMPHING
READING WATERS

Mac Brown:
Casting Angles

Landon Mayer:
LANDON MAYER’S GUIDE FLIES (new release)
HUNT FOR GIANT TROUT
COLORADO’S BEST FLY FISHING: FLIES, ACCESS, AND GUIDES’ ADVICE FOR THE STATE’S PREMIER RIVERS
HOW TO CATCH THE BIGGEST TROUT OF YOUR LIFE
SIGHT FISHING FOR TROUT
101 TROUT TIPS: A GUIDE’S SECRETS, TACTICS, AND TECHNIQUES

Philip Rowley:
THE ORVIS GUIDE TO STILLWATER TROUT FISHING (New Release)
FLY PATTERNS FOR STILLWATERS: A STUDY OF TROUT, ENTOMOLOGY & TYING
STILLWATER SELECTIONS
STILLWATER SOLUTIONS
CONQUERING CHIRONOMIDS VOLUME 1
CONQUERING CHIRONOMIDS VOLUME II ADVANCED TACTICS

 

Fly Tiers

Ben Byng: Fishing has been in Ben’s blood since he was a young boy. His grandfather took him on many journeys from the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys. His father took him on summertime trips to Eastern Idaho for remote small stream fishing and high mountain adventures. These experiences have armed Ben with lessons that would follow him into fly-fishing. Having the California Delta in his backyard, Ben has spent many hours jamming in his boat through this 1200-mile waterway looking for Striped Bass. This is his fly-fishing wintertime playground.In the summers of 2000-2005, Ben helped Andre Puyans with his Fly Fishing Seminars in Eastern Idaho at Elk Creek Ranch. Ben with the help of Andre and has worked his way to Operations Manager. You can catch Ben tying at the International Sportsmen’s Exops and the Fly-Fishing Shows on the West Coast. If you have time stop by and see what he is tying. Ben’s time is spent now as an instructor for Wilderness Unlimited Fly Fishing clinics and The Becoming An Outdoor Women Fly Fishing clinics. Both highly attended fly fishing schools.

Jerry Criss: I retired to Central Oregon from California in 2004. I have been fly fishing and fly tying since the early 80’s. I teach fly tying and fly fishing as a way of passing on what has been taught to me by all those who have blessed my life since taking on this incredible sport. Without the basic techniques that were instilled in me by, my mentor Andre’ Puyan’s who demanded the best from me every time, because he felt the fish deserved that.
I tye and teach flies with a passion, I teach the classic techniques that made the craft what it is today, and strive to make them better if possible and find ways to improve things, that maybe a little different and that’s what passion does to you. In 2009 I was named, “2009 Oregon Council of Fly Fishers International, Fly Tyer of Year” for my teaching, promoting and dedication to the craft of fly tying. I have received other awards here in the USA and in UK for my ability to be creative, and forward thinking, but never forgetting those who have tyed before.
Each day on the water is another blessed day and I enjoy every second whether there are fish on or off. It is the challenge that keeps me in or on the water.

Tim Flagler: Tim is the owner of Tightline Productions, L.L.C., a video production company located in Califon, NJ. Although he produces video programs over a wide range of topics, his specialty is fly fishing. Tim is a well-known fly tying instructor. His YouTube videos are some of the best in the business and his YouTube channel, practicalpatterns.com currently has over 106,000 subscribers and 33 million views. Almost every week he produces a new fly tying or “how to” video which appear not only on his YouTube channel but on Midcurrent and the Orvis News fly fishing blog as well. They’re also featured on Trout Unlimited’s national website and in the Orvis Learning Center. In addition, he has a regular column “Beginner’s Masterclass with Tim Flagler” in Fly Tyer magazine, which selected Tim as their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue. Many of Tim’s tying videos take the viewer well beyond just the tying of the fly and show what it looks like underwater, what natural it represents and how it can be fished.
Tim’s a fixture at the Fly Fishing Shows – giving presentations, teaching classes and often as a Featured Tier. He enjoys guiding year round for Shannon’s Fly & Tackle in Califon, NJ. and hosts annual trips to Patagonia in the spring and to the Kootenai River in MT in the summer. He’ll be hosting trips to Iceland starting in the fall of 2023.

William Gay: I am 19 years old and likely one of the youngest tying at the show. I started out largemouth bass and trout fishing with my mom at age 3 and took it up myself after. I am about 6 years into my fly fishing journey and each season I attempt a new technique, most recently spey for steelhead. Fly tying was one of the things I picked up 4 years ago during a winter before I got any decent at steelhead fishing and wanted to stay connected to the sport. Tying gives an amazing depth to the fly fishing that just going out to fish doesn’t give and tying flies allowed me to further my knowledge as well as give good stress breaks between homework as a college student.

Lee Haskin: Lee began his fishing career in the late fifties, at about 10 years old, learning to tie his own flies about the same time. For many years Lee fished, side-by-side with his fly-fishing father, on trout waters, throughout the California Sierras. His father also taught Lee to tie trout flies on a hand made vise, and help from an old Herters fly tying book. In the early 1970’s Lee began to fish San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay, with a primary interest in catching stripers with top water bugs. About that same time Lee and old friend, and fishing buddy, Del Brown, (talk about good company!) began fishing Francisco Bay for Stripers. Later, Lee concentrated his efforts on the San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay, targeting striped bass, fishing from a float tube. Around 1990 Lee discovered a tough, durable foam, that he felt improved the Gartside Gurgler, his favorite top water bug. This type of foam was especially important for foam patterns designed for northern pike, barracuda, and bluefish. As it turned out, others wanted Lee’s foam designs, and his commercial fly tying was underway. Not long after, Lee discovered saltwater flats fishing, and started creating his own patterns to fish these waters-many crafted with the same durable foam. With a growing demand for his flies, Lee started his own fly company, and eventually merged with an overseas company to produce, and market, his patterns commercially. He has designed over 25 commercially tied flies, specifically for inshore species like tarpon, permit, bonefish, snook, and redfish…and more!

Bud Heintz: Bud has been a fly tier for over 45 years. He teaches the the Art of Fly Tying, is a featured tier at many fly shows throughout the year and a fly fishing club member. He is a FFI (Fly Fishing International) tier and was awarded the 2018 Buz Buszek Award for sugnificant contributions to the art of fly tying. He also tied custom flies for the Buz Buznik Fly Shop in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Adam Hortenberry: My Name is Adam Hortenberry, I started Fly tying 2 and a half years ago. A lot of the flies I do are mostly for warm water species but I love all aspects of tying for both Fresh & salt.
My inspirations for tying include Names like Dave Whitlock, Kelly Galloup, Blane Chocklette, Bob Popovics, Charley Craven and many more. Fly Fishing and Fishing in general have been my interests for as long as I can remember. catching bluegill on the fly on farm ponds with my grandpa is still one of my favorite memories. My purpose nowadays is to tie quality Flys for folks and get our younger generations involved in the sport and teaching folks my favorite patterns and ways to catch warm water species such as my favorite being the smallmouth Bass. I love seeing my videos inspire young folks and people who have been around alike, fishing & Fly fishing aren’t just a hobby for me it’s my life and my passion.

Joe Jackson: Joe is a professional fly tyer most known for his artistic patterns spun with deer hair, creating real masterpieces like Baby Yoda, Hummingbirds, and T-rex’s. Joe is a veteran and a retired Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Joe spends most of his time tying flies, and volunteering as an ambassador for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Joe has devoted his life to his passions on the water, chasing fish and sharing his passion with those around him.

 

Dave Kruss: Dave began his lifelong pursuit of fly fishing and tying during 1954 while living in Southern California. Between then and now he has “defrauded” nearly every North American continental fish species from waters fresh & salt, warm & cold, all on flies of his own creation. During his (26) year participation as an international spearfishing competitor, Dave has developed a unique “match-the-hatch” approach to design of saltwater baitfish imitations. Dave is a past president and member of the Peninsula Fly Fishers and continues to teach intermediate and advanced tying classes to club members. He is also a member of the venerable Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and teaches occasional classes for those members as well. Dave publicly demonstrates his skills nearly (150) hours annually at various FFF Council fundraisers and commercial shows (mostly) located in the western states. He volunteered for nearly (15) years as a member of the Board of Directors and Fly Tying Committee Chair for the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, who awarded him recipient of the 2003 Ned Long Memorial Fly Tyer of the Year award. Dave has been published in Northwest Fly Fishing, Southwest Fly Fishing and Western Outdoors magazines. He presently resides in San Mateo with his wife and a Welch Corgi (dog), with fur amazingly similar to that of an Australian Possum.

Jay Murakoshi: I have been in the fly fishing industry for 42 years. Iʼve also been a commercial tyer for 41 years and tied for notables in the industry such as Lefty Kreh and Trey Combs. My patterns have been featured in Fly Fishing in Saltwaters, California Fly Fisher, Western Out- doors, Southwest and Northwest Fly Fishing magazine. Since the early 80ʼs I have spoken to thousands of people at events like the International Sportsman Exposition, Fly Fishing Show, Renzetti Fly Fishing Fair, New Mexico Trout Conclave, sports pro shops. clubs and conclaves. I am on pro staff for RIO, TFO, Hatch Reels, Smith Optics, Costa, Gamakatsu and Dai Ichi Hooks. I also run my own travel business Murakoshi’s Fly Fishing Adventures/Flies Unlimited.

 

 

Kim Mutaw: My name is Kim Mutaw and I was born and raised in Southern California. I caught my first trout when I was five years old have enjoyed going on fishing adventures with my dad ever since. While I grew up (and have spent most of my life) fishing with conventional gear, I picked up my first fly rod about four years ago and haven’t looked back.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and we all went on lockdown, I was looking for a way to feel connected to my passion, even though I couldn’t travel to get to the trout water I loved. I learned to tie by watching fly tying content on YouTube and spending many, many hours sitting at the vice practicing. I tie everything from the tiniest of nymphs to the largest of musky flies, and enjoy the creative process of designing original patterns.
I own a small business called The Flies That Bind (www.thefliesthatbind.com) that offers nymphs, streamers, trout assortments, and custom ordering.

Neal Pultz: Neal owner of Pultz Poppers. He started fly fishing when he was 13, after watching American Sportsmen on TV. They had Dave Whitlock on tying flies, making bass bugs and fly fishing in the Louisiana swaps for bass. After seeing that Neal was hooked and that’s when he started his life long love for fly fishing and tying flies. He has tied flies commercially for shops across the United States. His passion is fly fishing for bluegill and bass. He started making bass bugs out of balsa wood in the mid 70’s. Over 10 years ago he decided to turn his hobby into a business and that’s how Pultz Poppers got started. He met Don Davis, owner of Breambugs.com. He started carry his Pultz Popper line of bugs on his website. He added several more business contacts through the years such as Big-Y-Fly out of Oregon and Wild Water Fly Fishing out of Ontario, NY, just to name of few. He prides himself on making quality bugs and it shows with his finished products. His motto is “If it’s not good enough for my box, it’s not good enough for yours”.

Al Ritt: Al has fished as long as he can remember and has been fascinated with flies almost as long. Growing up in southern Michigan he fished primarily for warm water species, but remembers feeling magic in trout and trout flies. Al recalls making flies including forming his own hooks out of pipe cleaners. He took his first formal tying class in 1983 after moving to California. Since then he s tied flies and fly fished for trout, grayling, bass, pike, panfish, catfish, carp, steelhead, salmon, bonefish, permit, snook, tarpon, redfish and other species.Al has fished as long as he can remember and has been fascinated with flies almost as long. Growing up in southern Michigan he fished primarily for warm water species, but remembers feeling magic in trout and trout flies. Al recalls making flies including forming his own hooks out of pipe cleaners. He took his first formal tying class in 1983 after moving to California. Since then he s tied flies and fly fished for trout, grayling, bass, pike, panfish, catfish, carp, steelhead, salmon, bonefish, permit, snook, tarpon, redfish and other species.
Currently Al and his wife Diana own and operate Al Ritt Flies. Al is a fly tying instructor and a destination travel host. As Brand Manager for PEAK Fishing, a manufacturer of premium quality fly tying vises and equipment and bamboo rod making planing forms and tools, his duties entail sales/marketing, product development and customer service.

John Ryzanych: Through his modern approach in the use of fur, feathers and synthetics John has become widely recognized as one of the sports leading creative tiers. His original fly designs, including the Fat Head bait fish, the Air Head top water fly, the Softex Stone Fly and Softex Caddis Fly, are used the world over and considered cutting edge for their unique functionality and greater representation of the things sport fish eat.
His company, ICON Products, manufactures and distributes specialized fly fishing products. The body forming material SOFTEX is complimented by The Catch & Release “Zero Limit” line of conservation message apparel and decals.
In addition to managing the operations and development aspects of his company, John regularly performs tying demonstrations at both domestic and international fly fishing venues, and contributes articles to the sport’s leading magazines. He is a past board member of the Northern California IFFF, past advisor to the California Department of Fish and Game as well as the county of Alameda Municipal Advisory Council. John has also been successful in sponsoring conservation legislation in his home state of California.
When time allows, he pursues his passion for fishing the salt waters of the world and fooling picky trout with his super realistic patterns!

Shane Shuster: While chasing my dream to become a professional snowboarder, I made the move from Las Vegas, NV to Lake Tahoe, Ca. In my spare time I began to fly fish the Truckee River. My passion quickly changed from snowboarding to fly fishing, and I was quite literally “hooked.” I soon found myself on the river daily, but frustrated that I couldn’t get the picky fish to bite due to the pressure put on the fish by other anglers. I started to study entomology by collecting bugs and tying my own flies. I became fascinated with the craft of tying flies and the artistic nature of trying to create realistic patterns  to illicit strikes on illusive fish. I’ve been tying daily now for 8 years, and along with fly fishing, family, falconry, and my being a fire fighter/ paramedic, I am truly loving life!

 

Les Warren: Les began fishing at a very early age with his dad, mom and brothers and he was hooked! After Bass Pro Shops opened in 2007 in Manteca he became interested in fly fishing and fly tying. He became a member of the Tracy Fly Fishers Club and has fished in Central California at various lakes and streams. He became interested in wanting to share his skills and techniques with others at Fly Fishing shows. In 2012, he was invited to tie at the ISE (International Sportsmen’s Expo) in Sacramento, CA and has been participating each year. In 2013, he was invited to tie at the East Idaho Fly Fishing Expo in Idaho Falls, ID and continues to tie each year. In 2015, he was invited to tie at The Flying Fishing Show in Pleasanton, CA and continues to tie at the event each year. In 2016, he was invited to tie at the Wasatch Fly Fishing Show in Sandy, UT, continuing to participant in their show. In addition, he has tied at various local Fly Shops. Recently, beginning to perfect his skills at spinning deer hair. Fly tying has became a passion of his as well as fishing as often as he can.

Exhibitors & Map



Note from the Director

A Note from the Director:  

Thanks to all the guests, exhibitors, fly tiers, celebrities and exhibitors that come together to make The Fly Fishing Show the greatest gathering in fly fishing.  We hope to see you all next year.

—Ben Furimsky and The Fly Fishing Show Family

Tickets

Fly Fishing Show Tickets: 

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Programs, Seminars and Classes

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Featured Classes

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Seminars

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Casting Demos

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Theaters

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Author's Booth

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Special Events

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